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I would love to have heated floors!

And I love our instant hot at the kitchen sink.

Jill

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Thanks Wayne,Got that took care of heated floors thru out coach!!!

Robert

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How about options I cannot live with? Keep it simple. It is nice to have Crestron for example but without specific skills in servicing the system if something should fail I am at the mercy of someone else. As a motorhome I don’t have the scheduling constraints you are going to have so the convenience factor far outweighs the downside.

I would insist that the electrical and plumbing systems be set up so every circuit is numbered, all circuit breakers, fuses, relays, etc. be marked, all plumbing circuits be provided with shut off valves and marked, and all engine coolant lines be marked, described or diagrammed.

Ditto with the audio visual system controls. Don’t set it up so the average teenager can work it, but instead make sure the average 80 year old spinster (or someone like Tom) can figure out how to turn on the TV and then get satellite, DVD, over the air digital, or even cable. And make sure it is easy for each of those sources to be sent to whatever TV is selected.

Continuing with the simplicity theme, set up the heat and AC controls so anyone with no training can turn on whatever source is required and adjust the temperature. Some motorhomes you need to know the secret code to get heat or air to work. With a bus load of non-owners you do not want to spend your time training people how to work anything.

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Proximity or foot switch control of the water at the washbowls in bath and at kitchen sink.

JIM

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Strictly a driver confort feature: heated steering wheel. Probably not available but it sure is one of my most appreciated features on my vehicles.

In cold weather RVing, I sometimes wear my driving gloves, just to keep my old hands warm. These are not thick mittins or heavy gloves, just sports car type driving gloves. They make a significant difference.

I was spoiled when I bought our Ram truck that has a heated steering wheel. I never knew that feature would become a “must have”. And I live in the Southeast. I can’t imagine how nice it would be if I lived further North.

[Archived]

Don’t own a Prevost yet. Rented one for three days in August and pulled the race trailer from the Milwaukee area to Gingerman Raceway near South Haven Michigan, took it through Chicago. We had a 30 minute orientation; about 15 minutes about the bus and its systems, and 15 minutes of dual instruction driving it around.

So I kinda think we have the perspective of one of your customers as far as how to run the stuff in the bus. We know its there … but we’re of kind mystified about how to turn it on, whether to turn it on, and how to adjust it.

If you’re concerned about redundancy; are you having the bus built with Prevost over the road (OTR/bus air) air? When you’re traveling from venue to venue it should be able to easily heat and cool your coach without having to run the generator and the roof top A/C units. Reduces the wear and tear on the generator and the roof top units and should reduce the noise in the bus from the generator and roof top units. Also, if you ever get the coach heat sinked, between the OTR/bus air and the roof units you should be able to cool the coach down quickly.

Electricity. Are you having what I have come to understand is the big Delco 50DN alterator installed for the coach? Rated at 275 amps to keep the house batteries fully charged. I would think that with a pair of 4000 watt inverters and enough batteries, you should be able to run many if not all your roof airs without starting the generator.

Batteries. Are you going to spec the new Lithium batteries? From what I’ve read they are lighter, might charge faster, and apparently will accept more cycles and hence last longer. Since you’re probably going to be running your coach more active days in a year than many of the Prevost motorhomes will get in five or ten years, you might want to consider spending a few extra nickles on state of the technology batteries.

Finally … Things I learned renting. Clarity of what is going on. Everything needs to be clearly labeled. Every switch, every control. First, it must be easy for the occupants to tell where their power is coming from. Shore power? The generator? Batteries through the inverters. Then … how much capacity is being used? How much left? If you’re on say 50amp service … who much of it are you using? Same with generator. Same with battery power off the inverters. Then if there is a problem, the occupants can clearly see something needs to be shutdown or the power source switched.

Pilot lights. When a switch turns on something, like a roof air, or the generator … a pilot light should go on. Pilot light on or green (device on), pilot light off or red (device off). At least that is the convention I would use, maybe the pilots with more than 500 hours PIC time or the yacht owners have a better idea than I do.

Instructions. Your occupants will what to do various things in the coach. Heat, cool, hotter, colder, turn on the TV, turn on the XM radio, plug in wall warts to charge their phones and stuff, charge their laptops, etc. change the TV channel, watch their own DVDs, etc. You should have two or three sets of written instructions, probably laminated, with the instructions on how to do what you think they want to do in your coach.

Circuits. Will you have circuit breakers accessible and visible from inside the coach? If so, label every outlet, switch, and device as to what circuit and breaker its on. That way if an outlet on breaker 6 isn’t working and the breaker hasn’t popped, then the occupant knows it isn’t simply the breaker being tripped (and doesn’t have to trip every breaker in the coach to “find it”) … something else is wrong. You could make nice labels to put on switch covers, but someone could pull them off. Find someone with a small laser machine to “laser engrave” the switch plates. While I’m on circuits, did I mention Pilot Lights?

Gauges. Temp in, temp out. Pressure in, pressure out. When trouble shooting things, knowing that information should be able to really save you time. If the occupants want to take showers and the water temp in the water heat is 70 degrees, they know something needs to be done first. If coach’s water heater is tied to the engine coolant and the gauge shows 185 degree in the water heater, the occupants know they have HOT water. I’m suggesting gauges for air temp and fluid temps. A set of temp gauges on either side of an evaporator or a condensor should tell you lots about what is really going on with that unit. Same thing for all the alternators.

Hot Water. If you do have the water heater tied to the engine coolant and you have the possibility of 185 to 200 degree water in the water heater, make sure ALL the hot water faucets in the coach mix the hot with cold to get a desired temperature. Digital read out of the set temp would let the occupant know what the temp is set for. You don’t need some drunk guy and his girl friend in the shower and end up getting 190 degree water on them.

Water. Clean, clear, great tasting water I presume is a must have; or does everyone rely on bottled water?

Interesting touch. We went to the POG All Prevost Show in Tampa last year. There were two star coaches there. At least one of them has a round hole in the counter top for cans and bottles that dropped right into the can and bottle bucket in a bay. I thought it was cool. Maybe all star coaches have them.

Information. Altitude, direction, outside temp. Consider putting in digital displays at one or more locations that tells the occupants that information.

Weather information. Airplanes have it. The “NASCAR trailer” has it. Having a weather display in the coach provides a ton of information … especially in bad weather, especially when you’re customer are performing at an outdoor venue. If your coach is the only source of “weather information” … nobody will forget you!

Back to electricity. If you have a bunch of traveling musicians and road crew in a coach, I don’t think you can have enough “outlets” in the coach to power and charge their “stuff”. I wouldn’t hesitate to put them all over. Have we come far enough that you can install powered USB outlets and have everyone happy? Will you carry a large assortment of portable device chargers and cables? What about a printer Bluetooth or WiFi enabled printer and paper?

That is about what I think of for now. Good luck with everything.

[Jim/Chris]

Dick,

I think I have covered about every one of your suggestions and then some,I am going to try and open a thread that includes all the options I have requested in and on my coach and interior.Thanks for the suggestions,I appreciate them.

Robert